Keep up with your diet and exercise journal on the weekends. Use it to pinpoint your difficulties, so that you can evaluate ways to attack your weaknesses.

Look for ways to combine family time with exercise, both indoors and out. Ride bikes, skate, play soccer or tag, or take a simple nature walk. Let the kids play basketball at the local recreation center while you lift weights or run the treadmill. Your weekend exercise will be worthwhile even if it's not as regimented. Plus, you'll be instilling healthy habits in your kids without them even knowing.

If the weekend is your time to cook, either for fun or to get a jump on the week ahead, try some healthy new recipes, adding the successful ones to your repertoire. You can also adapt old favorites into healthier versions through such simple modifications as less sugar, applesauce instead of oil, canola or olive oil instead of vegetable oil, plain yogurt instead of sour cream, etc.

Try new foods that you don't usually have time for on a busy weekday. Make fruit smoothies, which are diet-friendly and can satisfy a sweet tooth.

Give yourself a day off from exercising. Recharging your battery will help you remain faithful to fitness in the week ahead.

When it comes to weekends, you're more likely to exercise if you get it out of the way. Plan your workout for early Saturday morning—before you slip into relaxation mode.

Limit dining out to just one meal per weekend. If something happens that you didn’t "budget" for, try to compensate. If you overindulged, plan additional activity to help offset the extra calories.

Spice up your workouts so you'll stick with them! Try the Saturday morning Spinning or the Sunday afternoon yoga classes. Whatever you normally do during the week, find something new and different for the weekend.

Look for new exercise opportunities that aren’t necessarily available during the week. Can you walk to church, or return library books on your bike? Things that might not be feasible during the week because of time constraints might be a nice change of pace on the weekend.

Save vigorous chores (scrubbing floors, raking leaves, washing and waxing the car) for the weekend so that you know you'll get at least a minimum amount of exercise.

Don’t save all your splurging for the weekends. Allowing yourself a few treats throughout the week will help you avoid the mindset that the weekend is an excuse to go bonkers. And by spacing your treats evenly, you’re less likely to get sudden, irresistible cravings.

If you know you're going to dine out or be in a social situation with special food, eat a light snack beforehand. Then, you can enjoy the treats without being so famished that you go overboard.

Find something to keep you motivated, even at home on weekends. Discussing health on the message boards or reading the latest fitness news from a magazine could give you the willpower to resist temptations that might otherwise pull you in.

Avoid alcohol. Not only does it contain 7 calories per gram (not including the calories in mixers), but drinking can also lower your inhibitions, causing you to eat more. Plus, when you're dehydrated and groggy the next day, the last thing you want to do is exercise.

You don't have to regret the weekend—or start over every Monday morning. By adopting strategies that work for your life, you can relax and once again enjoy the weekend. So, next time your co-workers tell you to "Have a good weekend"…you will!

Great article! I printed out the article and put the tips on a 4x6 index card and stuck it on my refrigerator. It's a constant reminder to me that weekends don't have to be difficult! - 4/8/2009 8:31:27 PM

I'm another one who uses Monday morning as "weigh-in" day. It really does help keep me focused during the weekend and evaluate my choices because I don't have time to make up for poor decisions before Monday!

Almost every weekend since I've started is going to be a huge challenge though, and next weekend is certainly no different... but I've managed to succeed every week with an average weight loss of 2 pounds a week for the last month (8 pounds down, 14 to go!). I am educating myself about better choices and practicing portion control, and that's really all you can do!

And if you think about it, you HAVE to ... or you'll never change. You'll most likely gain weight slowly but surely, develop health issues (heart problems, diabetes, whatever runs in your family), and probably die earlier than you "should." Saying no to the beer or having 2 slices of pizza instead of 4 is a small price to pay.
- 4/6/2009 9:30:37 PM

Week-ends are the hardest, for sure, but I have a few good tricks that help me tons. I make Monday my weekly "weigh in day" --so looking forwards to that helps keep me focused on eating within my calorie range. Also, I allow myself one really great dessert once a week, and that is on Saturday. I get the BEST piece of carrot cake or brownie or whatever...that I can find and enjoy every bite....slowly. That is my wk.end splurge and it satisfies me for a whole week. I have almost reached my goal of 20 pounds to lose and exercise every day. Also...get exercise (treadmill 30 min.) early Sat. and Sun. to get it out of the way. and drink lots and lots of ice water with lemon or lime.
- 4/2/2009 8:59:37 AM

The only way to cut loose from a stressful work week. I'm going to read this again on Friday morning and before I leave work that day. Hopefully, that will remind me that the glass of beer isn't that important.
- 7/14/2008 8:10:33 AM

I liked this article because it made me realize that I am not the onlt one that struggles during the weekend. I really thought I was the only one. I recommend reading this and really thinking about the tips they sugget.
- 12/1/2007 4:27:31 PM

SparkPeople, SparkCoach, SparkPages, SparkPoints, SparkDiet, SparkAmerica, SparkRecipes, DailySpark, and other marks are trademarks of SparkPeople, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
SPARKPEOPLE is a registered trademark of SparkPeople, Inc. in the United States, European Union, Canada, and Australia. All rights reserved.

NOTE: Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy last updated on October 25, 2013